Newbie and OG Elite Dinner

Wednesday June 4^th 2014 — 1^st EVER *Newbies*-Elite & OG ELITE Dinner in Colorado Soil Unite! Thank you Frances for organizing this event with fellow Newbie Elites and «The Original *Gangstas* Elite Unilocalers… An event that allows all the Elite Unilocalers to mix and mingle, get to know one another over Chicken Wings, Pizza and Adult Beverages Galore. Indeed an intimate evening!
Thank you The Rock Wood Fired Kitchen for hosting and providing the venue for us. There are several hits and misses throughout the event. Though the seating arrangement were a little «cramped» to my liking, some of the food order got «mixed» up aka they got the wrong order, the staffs rectify the problem as soon as possible. Nevertheless, all in all, an evening, getting to know New ELITE Unilocalers and rekindle old ones too…
PS: The «Spicy» Chicken Wings and the Desserts are my Ultimate Highlight dishes provided that evening. The Chicken and Pesto Pizza was good! In which I had some while sharing those with Hubs. Might return to The Rock Wood Fired Kitchen just to order those and other items indicated in their extensive menu.
@123/2014

I love that there was an event like this – pairing up New and OG Elites together! People just tend to stay in their known clusters at Elite events so it was nice for some people to break away from that and get to know other people who aren’t in their group. We had a wonderful group at our table – new, old, interesting and fun! I got to learn a ton from people around me like Lee and Ted plus got to try some awesome grub. I’ve passed by the Rock tons of times but never really knew what it was. We got to try a handful of appetizers like short ribs, sweet cheesy bread (weird but delicious) and the sweet spicy chile wings which were by far by fave of the nice!
The Rock was really generous with drinks and food, we could order anything off the menu! I got the steak salad which had a hefty amount of meat but I wish they would have put the dressing on the side or lightened it up because it got soupy after a few bites. Regardless, generosity and menu knowledge was appreciated. I can’t wait to come back to the Rock for their early or late happy hour!

Dale wrote that the term «Newbie-​Elite» is almost a contradiction but I was an OG-​Newbie so top that! ;) haha. In all seriousness, I thought this was a fun concept and it was good opportunity to meet new people because the event was smaller and more intimate than many different ones.
I’ve never been to this restaurant so it was fun to try something new. I ordered the steak, and I know they aren’t known for it, so I can’t knock it too badly but they completely missed the spot on ‘medium rare’. I’ll leave it at that.
I loved the photo area and just hanging out and I think that Francis did a great job putting this together and stepping away a bit from the norm.

This was a really cool event. I got to meet Dale, Christopher and Lee. Those are the people I remember the most. Some OG’s and other newbies but regardless, it was a great time. Food and service were amazing. I’ll be back for sure. Their suggestions were spot on and you can tell they take pride in helping people. Fun fun fun event!

As always, my eyes and ears perk up when I get invited to an Elite Event. So much the better that this one was to be held closer to my neck of the woods.
Newbies and Original Gangstas was the theme at this cozy (20 of us) gathering. I have eaten at The Rock in Parker several times, but never tried the burgers and the appetizers (only the pizza). I was impressed. I definitely have another reason to go to the The Rock.
Thanks.
Oh, the Black Beer was my favorite.

Newbies and Original gangstas hanging at a cool place with good food and drink. Doesn’t get much better than that. Much appreciation to the folks that rock out at the Rock for the great food and libations and much love to «The Frances» and OG Tiffany for bringing it together. Rock on!

This was a fantastic event. Not because of the food or drinks, although Rock makes a darn tasty pie which I will be back to sample again, but because of the focus of the event.
I’ve been an Elite member long enough to be considered an Original Gangsta but I haven’t ever really connected with people at events. I think alot of that was because so many of the Elite members really can make a ton of the events and are very comfortable with each other and so at the occasional event I can get to the crowd feels like it is really about experiencing the venue and the community is a bit secondary. That can make the occasional party crasher like myself feel intimidated. This was a brilliant event because it had a focus on getting to know people. I have some comfort knowing I know a few people and I hope the Newbees got to know us too.
I am pretty much always a fan of family style seating and with a bunch of people all who have similar foodee loves like myself the conversation was easy and lively. Probably thanks to the delish beer and wine that was flowing. Thanks again Rock! I met Dale and Cheryl and Tiffany and Lee and they were all kind and open and really a good time to talk to. Frances as always was a model coordinator even quizzing us to make sure we learned three things about the people around us.
Well done and thanks!

Another terrific event. I should stop being surprised at how awesome the Unilocal Elite events are… maybe after the next one.
The point of this dinner was to get to know other Elites, especially the «new» ones (a year or less in Denver). Frances suggested seating arrangements to expedite this process and I got to meet quite a few new faces! And it was lovely.
Though our table had an abundance of «OG’s» we managed to enjoy ourselves anyway. Rock’s brought us drinks and kept them refilled. Apps included a LOT of wings (bbq, honey hot), cheese bread with a touch of honey (wow. I wanted more. but made them pass the basket down the table to avoid eating the entire basket), and some bbq ribs. All were lip smackin’ good.
Then we were invited to order an entrée. Pages of burgers, steaks, pasta, salads, sandwiches, and of course, PIZZA. I opted for the flank steak sandwich, medium rare. I was impressed when the server let me know that they had accidentally overcooked, so they were making me a new one. I ate up all that steak (but only half the bun). The accompanying french fries were super crisp but tender on the inside. YUM. I was stuffed.
ETA: for the GLUTEN — FREE people: there is an entire page dedicated for your dining pleasure, including two pizzas. And I think you can order other pizza toppings on top of the gluten free crust.
But wait, there’s more!
Servers brought out one of my favorite desserts ever. Baked cookie in small skillet topped with ice cream and whipped cream. Uhh… I was full, yes, but we ate that sh*t up! It was so good, I did not care that we were sharing family style with people who weren’t family.
A great time with great people and great food. Thanks for hosting us, Rock! Your service, food, and drinks were terrific. and Frances. What can I say? You’re the best.

With apologies to Ice-​T…
«O.G. Original Gangster»
Five years ago
I used to listen to Unilocalers flow
Talkin’ bout the way
They rocked events, dontcha know
I liked how that stuff was goin’ down
Felt like I’d found
Reason to write more reviews
Somethin’ decent, my friends said,
It’s all yours Z.
…
«More than your everyday-​type prankster.»
I’m Dale-​Z., an original gangster
— — — — -
Whether you were an O.G. or a Newbie-​Elite. (yes, I know «Newbie Elite» is almost a contradiction in terms) there was undoubtedly something for you to enjoy at The Rock event. We were in an intimate (shall we say elbow to elbow) area in the back of the restaurant. There were two tables for Unilocalers (arranged in «V» formation) with a photo backdrop just past the pointy end. We definitely took advantage of the photographic opportunities.
We had good service throughout the event. They opened up the beer and wine and let us go to town. This was not my first time at The Rock (albeit the Parker location) so I knew what beers to enjoy. Wild Thing –American Pale Wheat Ale (A clear wheat beer with just a hint of honey, to let your heart sing) and Jumpin’ Jack Black Porter (A traditional English ale that’s smooth and chocolatey without the heaviness) were my selections for this evening. Prior to ordering off the whole dang menu for our main course, they brought out an assortment of wings and things. My favorite was the Sweet Red Chili Wings (Tossed in a Sweet but Spicy sauce).
I wound up getting my favorite pizza at The Rock, this being the Crazy Train (with Pepperoni, hot Italian sausage, peppered bacon, caramelized onions, garlic, oregano and hot cherry peppers. All aboard.) It was tasty pie.
Thanks to The Rock, Frances G. (our O.G.C.M.), and Tiffany N. (Double-O.G.C.D.R.M. etc.), and the photo folks for making this a fun night.